Jun 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; NBA TV analyst Charles Barkley talks on set before game three of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Charles Barkley Offer Bolds Take on Sixers Chances

Originally posted on Philadelphia 76ers on SI
By Declan Harris | Last updated Oct 25, 2025 10:25 AM ET

Year over year, the Philadelphia 76ers have been one of the more difficult teams to get an accurate pulse on. This was especially the case last year, after the Sixers’ front office splashed their cash on perhaps the biggest name in that year’s free agency market: Paul George.

Philadelphia and George had agreed to a four-year deal worth $211 million, making him one of the team’s highest-paid players. Despite the acquisition of the nine-time All-Star, the Sixers struggled last season, finishing with a record of 24-58, their worst record in nine years, which also broke their seven-year streak of making the playoffs.

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

One of the key reasons for their struggles was George’s injury luck, or lack thereof, as he would spend a significant portion of the season on the bench dealing with a multitude of injuries, spanning from issues with his thumb to issues with his knee.

The latter ailment would be the reason that the nine-time All-Star would have his season end prematurely, after George received injections in his left knee.

But it’s worth noting that George wasn’t the only big name for Philadelphia to miss significant time due to injuries, as Joel Embiid would miss even more time due to a nagging issue with his left knee.

The Cameroonian superstar would be limited to only 19 games on the court, where his stats were a shell of what he was producing when healthy, as he put up 23.8 points per game, along with 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists.

What did Charles Barkley have to say regarding the Sixers' stars health?

Looking forward to this NBA season, the health of the former MVP and nine-time All-Star is something that Sixers legend Charles Barkley is taking into consideration when evaluating Philadelphia’s chances this year, seeing their potential lack of availability negating the efforts of Tyrese Maxey and third overall pick VJ Edgecombe.

“I was asked a thousand times this summer about the Sixers,” Barkley said on a recent episode of ESPN’s Inside The NBA. “I said I can’t even give you a fair prediction on the Sixers because as much as I love [VJ] Edgecombe and [Tyrese] Maxey, if [Joel] Embiid and Paul George can’t play, the Sixers can’t- they’re not a contender.”

These comments came after the Sixers’ victory over the Boston Celtics, in which George sat out of, Embiid only played a limited role, while Maxey and Edgecombe combined for 74 of Philadelphia’s 117 points.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia 76ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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